


Can I Buy You A Drink?

by justlikedaylightsavingstime



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Lawyer!Castiel, M/M, Porn With Plot, Restraints, Slight D/s Elements, Smut, Top!Cas, alcohol and swearing, belt used as handcuffs, bottom!Dean, but nothing massively heavy, cliches glaore, handjobs, lawyer!Sam, let me know if I've missed any tags off, one night stand turning into something more, pregnant!Jess, rom com, smut at the start and then the plot builds, with some Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-05 12:20:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3120017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justlikedaylightsavingstime/pseuds/justlikedaylightsavingstime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a one night stand Castiel and Dean intend to go their separate ways. At least until they realize they can't get rid of each other that easily.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can I Buy You A Drink?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wincechesters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wincechesters/gifts).



> I kind of filled 2 prompts (but I've mostly focused on the first one) as a present for Wincechesters (hope you like it xD)
> 
> Prompt 1- Dean and Cas have a one night stand/whirlwind affair and then part ways, thinking they'll never see each other again. They run into each other unexpectedly and their short affair becomes something more.
> 
> Prompt 2- Dean moves back home after years away only to discover that Sam's new best friend (or maybe roommate or co-worker?) Castiel is really strange, dorky in the best possible way and incredibly hot.
> 
>  
> 
> I'm not massively happy with it, and if it makes any sense at all then it's probably due to my wonderful beta. I'm tempted to continue the story from where it ends, so that may possibly happen in the future. There's a really mushy scene between Jess and Dean, mostly because I was being a bit mean to her before that.
> 
> It's my first ever finished piece with smut, so I tried really hard but don't expect too much. I had a really nice offer for someone to beta the smutty bits, but in the end I messed them around too much so unfortunately all mistakes in that bit are my own.

Dean didn’t do this anymore. Or at least that’s what he told himself until he saw that shock of dark hair, until he was caught by that deep intense gaze. Well this was his choice, Lisa had long since made sure of that, and goddamnit he was going to enjoy it. Despite his free status since the impending divorce he still wasn’t actively cruising. That still weirdly felt a smidge too close to cheating. Not to mention he was a little rusty

But when he caught sight of Mr-Tall-Dark-and-Handsome he just couldn’t help himself. It had absolutely nothing to do with thoughts about how he would returning to that cold empty motel room alone, or how that shiny bottle of Jack Daniels would just be sat there winking at him (it was more the generic pressures of loneliness and bachelorhood, than a particularly broken heart that led him to that place, there just wasn’t that depth of feeling there anymore with Lisa). That would be pathetic. And Dean Winchester was many things, but he was not pathetic. So he focused on the sparkle in the mysterious guy’s eyes, the hidden strength behind his deceptively lithe muscles, the way his v-neck shirt clung just a little too tightly to his figure.

He was so caught up in appraising the guy that his traitorous brain didn’t even register the way the man’s hips were moving, the way he was walking ever closer until he was standing right next to Dean. Personal space seemed to be a foreign concept to him, but as Dean breathed in his musky aroma he decided that for just this once he didn’t care.  
He didn’t move as the brunet leant in, placing his glass on the bar and capturing Dean’s lips in a heated movement. Dean’s brain became awash with clichés as he found his mouth being claimed by the stranger. Months of anger and frustration just fell away to be replaced by the tangy taste of cheap beer.

Before he had chance to do more than blink stupidly, the man had pulled away muttering a quiet apology and averting his eyes. Not giving him the opportunity to turn and walk his gorgeous ass away, Dean gently rested his hand on the other guy’s arm and dragged him back round to face him before pulling him into another fiery kiss.

“Hey.” This time Dean was the one to pull back, to be met by the sight of bright blue eyes and a rather demanding stare.

“Hello.”

He couldn’t keep from grinning at the very proper and gruff reply. It felt so right to be doing this again. “Can I buy you a drink?”

A few seconds past, leaving Dean more and more flustered as he tried to figure the other guy out. Surely he was interested. He had kissed Dean first, after all. But that didn’t stop the sudden shock of nerves fluttering in Dean’s stomach. Come on. He was Dean freaking Winchester. He used to do this all the time, he had absolutely no reason to be nervous.

Eventually the brunet gave a sharp shake of his head. “No. I already have one thank you. Would you like me to buy you a drink?”

Thrown off by the curious tone behind the comment, Dean managed to shrug and for lack of a better response replied with a “Sure”.

Another awkward couple of minutes passed as Dean’s new drinking buddy attempted to get the barkeeper’s attention. The tension failed to dissipate even as Dean finally got his hand around the icy cool glass of bourbon.

“So who do I have to thank for the drink?”

“Well the bar tender certainly seemed very amiable.” If it were anyone else, Dean would have assumed he was having his leg pulled, but something about this man suggested that he was being deadly serious, not an ounce of irony flashing through his eyes. And Dean wasn’t quite sure what to do with that.

“No I meant…nevermind. I’m Dean. What’s your name?”

“Castiel.”

Dean must have pulled a funny face as Castiel promptly took a defensive tone. “After the angel.”

That was just too good an opening. “Okay angel. Did it hurt?”

“Did what hurt?”

“When you fell from heaven.”

“I’m not an actual angel Dean. I am just named after one.” It took Dean much longer than it should have done to realise that there was a twinkle in the man’s eyes. He let out a nervous smile in return and took a deep sip of his whisky. Maybe he didn’t have this stranger pegged as well as he thought he did. “But I appreciate the attempt at a pick up line. However, it is completely unnecessary. I can already tell that you are attracted to me from the fervour of your kiss.”

Dean was a smooth customer, very smooth. Or at least that’s what he told himself when he spat out a mouthful of whisky at Castiel’s words. Still, he could totally take advantage of the situation. “Well in that case, if you’re not interested in the build-up, wanna get out of here?”

He was half expecting Castiel to laugh at him and ditch him right then and there at the bar. Something told him there was nothing certain about the guy. But a quick nod earned a big shit eating grin from Dean as his drink went down the hatch. Before he had chance to do more than put his glass down, Castiel had taken firm possession of his hand, using it to drag him to the door at an impressive speed. The warmth building up in Dean’s chest wasn’t even diminished by the weird looks of a short guy staring after them as they barrelled through the door of the bar.

A cab pulled up before Dean was able to get his lips on Castiel’s again. Instead he had to content himself with twisting their fingers together tighter as they slid into the back of the cab.

Suddenly feeling really awkward, Dean realized that the cab driver was expecting to be told an destination. “Errrrm, my place or yours? I’m in a motel at the moment so…”

Castiel’s deep voice cut him off, leaving Dean in awkward silence again. “My place should be sufficient.”

He had absolutely no idea how to start small talk with this mysterious man, and Castiel seemed to feel no inclination to help him out, so he just sat in silence. Luckily it seemed like it was going to be a short journey.

Castiel broke the silence by leaning forward, eyes focused on Deans as he very solemnly asked “May I kiss you again?”

He just managed to bite back a “finally” as he got the kiss he’d been waiting for since they got in the cab. From that moment on all Dean’s attention was focused on hot skin, wandering hands and silky hair. They only stopped at a particularly pointed cough from the cab driver to let them know they’d arrived.

The house was massive. Not that Dean had chance to take it in as his companion bundled him through the door. The heavy oak door slammed behind them with an air of finality, completely closing them off from every little sound of the outside world. It left an eerie quiet, reminding Dean that he was currently in the middle of god knows where with a complete stranger. Any fears dropped away as a pair of startlingly blue eyes fixed hungrily on him and a clear order rang through the room, taking Dean aback. “Strip.”

He had to be told another few times before it truly figured, before he registered what was required. Oh, so that’s how it was going to be. It had been a long time since he’d been down this road, but that didn’t affect the way his fingers speedily flicked down all the buttons of his flannel shirt, or the cool tingle that brushed across the muscles of his shoulders when he dragged off his undershirt. Life was too short to make time for a show, but the appreciative hum that met the action was enough to slow him down. His fingers danced along the rim of his belt, slowly tracing the smooth leather until he came to the belt buckle, and slowly, ever so slowly, unclipped it, the rough fabric of his jeans pooling at his feet. And there he was, bared to the world. Or at least bared under Castiel’s responsive gaze.

He took a step forward, intending to get Castiel into a similar state of undress. There was nothing he’d love to see more than that kissable chest freed from that ridiculous v-neck shirt. But apparently Castiel had other plans. The movement of Dean’s feet was arrested by another brisk comment. “Stop. Into the bedroom, on the bed.”

With that, Dean’s clothes were abandoned on the hard wood floor and an insistent hand put a tingling pressure on his back as Castiel directed him.

The bed was soft underneath his back, cushioning every movement whilst not allowing him much resistance to make his own movements. He let it swallow him whole, trying to shift into the most alluring position possible. He had decided from the minute he walked through that door. No scratch that. From the minute he had set eyes on this fallen angel, that he would make him sweat. This turn of events, as welcome as it was, meant he was going to have to refigure his plan slightly, but he could still try. Dean shifted slightly to the side, his finger wiggling in the classical ‘come hither’ motion. It seemed to have no effect on the dark figure in the doorway, who stared silently until Dean started to squirm, unable to sit still under the scrutiny, particularly with the effect it was having on his cock.

 

Not that the smug bastard by the door seemed to mind. He just kept his intense gaze roving across Dean’s body, sending unavoidable shivers down his naked spine, even as he stepped into the room and switched on the dim lamp.

Castiel didn’t utter a single word as he moved around the room, settling on the bed with a firm look at Dean to direct him to stay in place. Painfully slowly he tugged off the horrendous shirt, revealing rippling shoulders and a back more beautiful than Dean could have imagined. Dean was close to breaking the unspoken orders and crawling across the bed to trace those glorious shoulders with his lips and his tongue when Castiel finally turned to face him.

The first brush of his warm hand against Dean’s shoulder instantly had him relaxing, as he let himself be directed into a laying position, mouth kept busy with kissing and sucking and licking any skin that he was allowed in contact with. It hardly even registered when his arms were pulled back, leaving just the barest amount of space to stop the stretch from becoming painful. Each of Castiel’s hands grasped one of Dean’s wrists as the shorter man straddled Dean’s stomach. Dean’s pulse picked up as his eyes were drawn up to where their hands connected, completed by the rub of a smooth material. The glance told him all he needed to know. Clasped in Castiel’s right hand was Dean’s belt. It was pretty hard to miss those signals.

A little shifting told Dean that he was tightly held, he wasn’t getting out of the hold without a serious struggle. The thought almost had a sliver of fear entering his brain, but his attention was captured by the sound of the belt clunking a Castiel stretched it out, temporarily releasing Dean’s hands in the process. As Castiel shifted his weight against Dean, the magical friction of his jeans quickly chased away any reservations. Dean could definitely get behind this.

Castiel leaned forward until their chests were drawn flush and his lips were brushing Dean’s ear. Each gentle puff had Dean squirming for more. He laid his head back against the bed, eyes closed as he tried to soak up the sensation. A hand fisted in his hair, too soft to hurt, but firm enough to declare its presence. Each time the dextrous fingers brushed across his scalp Dean let out a deep moan. Castiel took a deep breath in, and Dean grinned, more than ready for whatever dirty talk Castiel deemed appropriate. He shivered contemplating how mindnumbingly sexy something as simple as ‘I’m going to fuck you’ would be groaned in Castiel’s gravelly voice.

Except the words that left Castiel’s mouth weren’t anywhere close to dirty talk. If anything, they could only be described as clinical. Dean tried to hold back a sigh, whilst his dick might not appreciate the delay, something fluttered in his chest at the concern in Castiel’s voice. “You want safewords?”

Dean’s eyes widened a little at the thought. Safewords, that was some serious shit.

“How kinky are we talking.” He tried to blow it off in his usual Dean style, but he could tell that Castiel had picked up on his misgivings as he made his voice even gentler.

“Just the belt to restrain your hands, if you will allow it?” Dean was sure his head would drop off with how fast he nodded.

The weight pulled back a little, and Castiel’s head moved a little so when Dean opened his eyes, all he could see where Castiel’s blown pupils and fluttering eyelashes. Far too seriously to be playful he said “Let’s keep it simple. If you say anything resembling ‘No’ or ‘Stop’ I will do so immediately.”

And at that Dean’s impatience won over. He was only human after all. Instead of a reply, he surged upwards, pressing his lips against Castiel’s, letting out a needy groan when Castiel pressed his hands back against the bed. The belt was deftly manoeuvred until his wrists were firmly fixed to the top of the bed frame, keeping his hands trapped too tight to move. A brief show of resistance revealed that he had very little wiggle room, and in any other instance Dean might have been wary of how quickly he relaxed and had even let out a happy hum. But as it was, he was most definitely not complaining.

Castiel seemed to appreciate his reaction, his hand returning to Dean’s hair as he sent Dean into a state of bliss with one soft stroke.

“That’s a good boy.” Castiel obviously thought his words were inconsequential, just your average pillow talk, but that was before he felt the obvious twitch of Dean’s cock. There was a moment of utter embarrassment, when Dean thought that he was going to get instantly thrown from the bed. It wouldn’t be the first time. The quirk of Castiel’s eyebrow and the stilling of the hand in his hair was enough to assuage all the niggling doubts and fears.

This time the flippant tone was dropped, and was replaced Castiel’s true gravelly sexed out voice. “A very good boy.”

And if that didn’t just hit Dean in all the right places. This time they were both ready for Dean’s reaction, Castiel’s crotch rubbing against his at just the right moment.

Castiel pulled back, his skin glinting in the low light. As Dean tried to chase the burning touches and tantalising kisses the belt was there, holding him back, pinning him in place. Exactly where Castiel wanted him. Which would have been great, heavenly in fact if Dean wasn’t so desperate. Every second that Castiel dragged it out, as he played with the zipper of his jeans, or took a moment to stretch his perfect muscles or just sent Dean a languid smile, was pure torture.

Dean’s insistent moans seemed to have no effect on the hard-hearted man, if anything it seemed to make him move even slower. What felt like hours later, the damned jeans were discarded on the floor. Another age and the boxers were also stripped off, revealing the fact that Castiel was just as hard as Dean. Which of course had Dean letting out yet another one of those embarrassing noises.

Luckily Castiel seemed to get with the program, climbing onto the bed and taking his rightful place on top of Dean, the movement of his hips bringing the most wondrous relief to his neglected cock. But it still wasn’t enough. Not until Castiel’s hand closed around both of their dicks, transforming the sparks of pleasure into a full blown fire.

Dean’s eyes fluttered shut without his permission, too lost in rapture to truly control his actions. His hips moved in time with Castiel’s hand, only stilling when the brunet pinned him down more firmly with his own hips.

Judging by the tremors running through Castiel’s muscles, he wasn’t far from coming. The speed of his hand picked up to just the right tempo, leaving Dean nothing but a writhing mess as each exquisite stroke drew him closer to the edge.

He was so close. And then Castiel’s rasping voice was in his ear, no less demanding for the quiet delivery. “I want you to come for me, right now.”

And that’s all it took for Dean to come, letting out a choked gasp as the entire world shattered in a blaze of pleasure. Castiel wasn’t far behind, burying his head in Dean’s shoulder as he came, both of them riding out the aftershocks together. Dean could just make out the soft exclamations being uttered into his ear. “So good.”

He was so lost in his own lax head he didn’t even notice when Castiel’s breath calmed down from panting, or the way the air hit his wrists with a cool breeze as the belt was undone with little more than a swish. He barely registered the gentle caress of the washcloth as he sunk back into the bed, just having enough consciousness left to recognise the gentle warmth of another body as strong arms grasped him close and another set of legs twisted around his own.

****

After ignoring the bright flickers of light bouncing across his face for several minutes, Dean finally decided that he couldn’t postpone the decision to join the land of the living for much longer. He let out a long groan, turning over to bury his face in his usual lumpy pillows. Except these pillows weren’t lumpy, they were downright fluffy. This elicited another groan.

And those bloody pillows, seriously. Over the past few years Dean wasn’t ashamed to admit he’d been enjoying some of the finer pleasures in life. Homecooked food, a particularly fancy power shower and expensive beers (although Sam’s jibes about his extending stomach suggested that wasn’t always such a good thing). That had all changed when Lisa chucked him out. Motels just didn’t have the same appeal as a steady home. But these pillows were something else altogether. Dean just wanted to burrow into them and hide from the painful day he had ahead.

He was getting way too old to be waking up in shitty motel rooms, or other peoples fluffy beds. Well, it was time to assess the damage. As he flicked his eyes open he couldn’t help but admire the view.

With his head buried in the pillow next to Dean was a pretty damned fine specimen of manhood. If Dean didn’t have places to be and people to see he might have been tempted to ruffle his hand through that brown sex hair and maybe even put some breakfast on. But he was supposed to be meeting Sam at 10, his poor brother had insisted that Dean move in with him and Jess (Dean had a feeling that the missus was way less than happy with the arrangement). And crap, one quick glance at the perfunctory alarm clock told Dean that it was getting on for 9.30. Damn.

Normally Dean was perfectly able to follow the love-em-and-leave-em protocol. But as he slowly sat up and surveyed the room he realised there was one particular snag to following usual one night stand etiquette. It normally required clothes. And the pristine room surrounding Dean had little more than furniture. No knick-knacks to clutter up the place, and certainly no scruffy clothes to mar the clean white of the floor.

Shit. What on earth had happened to Dean’s clothes? If he were honest with himself, he couldn’t completely remember what had happened the previous night, but flashes kept returning, some of which drew a particularly pleased smirk to his face. He had a particularly vague memory of the man (what was his name, Cas-something?) telling him to strip, but couldn’t for the life of him remember where they had ended up. To be fair he had much more important things on his mind at the time.

After wasting another couple of minutes dithering, Dean realised he had no other choice, he was going to have to wake the sleeping dragon. He reached a hand out, pulling it back quickly before it had chance to make contact. Cursing himself, he did it again before actually managing to rest a hand on the guys shoulder, giving him a soft shake whilst gently saying “Cas. Cas.”

Gaining no more response than a particularly loud snore, Dean tried again. This time those sinfully long lashes fluttered open and clear blue eyes fixed on his face.

“Yes?” The voice was even more mindnumbing than he remembered, a gravelly tone sending shivers down Dean’s spine.

“I’d like to leave now.”

“Okay. Goodbye.” The tone brooked no argument, as Cas closed his eyes and flipped onto his other side.

“I don’t know where my clothes are.”

“’s not my problem.” Cas muttered sleepily into his pillow, an air of impatience settling about him. Dean could only guess he wasn’t much of a morning person.

Holding himself back from shaking the other guy awake, Dean decided he might as well see if he could find his clothes by himself first. Luckily they were exactly where he’d left them in a messy pile, minus the belt which he had no intention of hunting down. As he found his way to the front door, Dean left with just a solitary backwards glance.

***

Castiel marched up Sam’s drive. The pounding in his head had died down after a couple of cups of coffee. He was getting too old for one night stands, but Gabriel always seemed to be finding new ways to throw him out there. Last night it had been calling in a favour in return for Gabriel had done for him on a case, which apparently allowed the childish sod to start a juvenile game of dares. In fact the entire night had been set up by Gabriel, including the t-shirt he had pinched from Balthazar’s wardrobe (Castiel was going to be dead if he ever found out).

The alcohol had been Gabe’s idea too. Castiel loved a few beers, it could often turn him into the confident and collected person he’d always wanted to be. He always felt more in control with liquid courage swishing about in his veins. He was notorious among the people who knew him for being awkward. He just didn’t work in quite the same way as other people. The same qualities that left other people calling him rude had Gabriel following him round ruffling his hair and calling him a dork. Or finding inventive ways to get Castiel out for the evening. But alcohol could fix all that, build up his charisma and bringing out his dominant side. Although he had to admit, this morning after the night before certainly put a damper on the previous nights debauchery. Castiel never dealt well with a hangover, part of the reason he’d been so turse with the poor man trying to find his clothes this morning. It left him bedraggled, irritable and achy. And it was all Gabriel’s fault. Although he had to admit it had had some pretty interesting results.

Seriously though, what grown man dared his brother to go up to a stranger in a pub and kiss them? It had taken a fair bit of cajoling, but eventually Castiel had given in, surprised when the poor stranger in question had ignored his apologies and dragged him in for another kiss. In the end Castiel had had the last laugh, dragging his conquest out of the door of the bar, sending a gobsmacked Gabriel a teasing wink.

It had been a pretty awe inspiring night. Maybe in another time and place it might have amounted to something more. But Castiel was too wrapped up in work to be any good to anyone, and he found that any single guy his sort of age who was that attractive tended to be perfectly happy with their lives as they are and have no interest in a relationship with a weird antisocial lawyer. So he’d long since given up.

Besides, Castiel had a feeling that even if all that weren’t the case he would have scared away his poor bedfellow with his rather lacking morning attitude. Dean had practically bounded out of his house. Of all the things you could say about Castiel Novak, he was most definitely not a morning person, particularly when the devil’s nectar was involved.

So he trotted along clutching the steamy memories of last night to himself, finally reaching Sam’s door. He’d been to the house on numerous occasions, and appreciated the homely feel that pervaded the place. Much more welcoming than his own drafty, empty house. Unfortunately he wasn’t here on a social call. Well he kind of was, Sam had invited him for lunch, but there was also less pleasant aspects to his visit. This was one of his least favorite aspects of his job but it couldn’t be helped. Sam had assured him that his brother wouldn’t be surprised, and probably wouldn’t even be particularly upset to receive the papers, which at least made the whole thing a little easier. But that didn’t mean Castiel had to like it.

He stepped up to the slightly warped door, rapping his knuckles loudly against it. After standing in silence for a couple of minutes he heard a gruff muttering from the other side of the door. “Hang on, hang on. Keep hold of your socks.”

The door swung back with a violent force, revealing a rather familiar figure. A figure clothed in the same flannel shirt and jeans he’d been wearing the previous night (at least until they had been removed). They both stared at each other in something akin to shock. Dean seemed to recover first.

“Look dude I had a great time last night, a really great night truth be told.” A slightly sleazy yet genuine grin spread across Dean’s face, bringing the cute wrinkles at the corner of his eyes into greater effect. “And I’m flattered that you’ve hunted me down or whatever, must’ve taken a lot of effort. But I’m not really into the whole stalker vibe thing. So thanks but no thanks.”

Realising that the door was in the process of being slammed in his face, Castiel shoved his foot in the way of it, clutching his pile of papers closer to his chest. “Wait, you’re Dean?”

The other man gave him a quizzical look. “Yup. We established that last night, remember.”

“No I mean you’re Dean Winchester?” Damn, how could Castiel be so stupid? He’d spent the last couple of days talking with Lisa on the phone and writing and rewriting ‘Dean Winchester’ out. There weren’t that many Dean’s around. He should have realised.

“Mmmhm. Well, like I said, not looking for my own personal stalker at the moment.” Dean not unkindly kicked Castiel’s foot out of the way of the door, steadily staring to push it back closed.

Luckily Castiel was saved by Sam’s voice ringing out, making Dean stop his process of closing the door. “Hey Castiel, I was wondering when you’d get here.”

Castiel ineffectually patted Sam’s back as he pulled him into a crushing hug. It was always funny seeing the efficient professional Sam out of his usual lawyer environment. If you caught him at home he was the silliest ball of fluff you could ever imagine. He quickly extricated himself, checking the papers weren’t creased.

“I see you’ve already met Dean.” Sam frowned when he caught sight of the contents of Castiel’s hands. There was a worried note to expression as he glanced at Dean. “I’m surprised you haven’t dumped the papers on him yet. I thought you liked to keep it short and sweet, like pulling off a bandaid.”

“Hadn’t had the chance yet.” Castiel muttered.

During the exchange, Dean had done little but blink. He seemed to be trying to figure out what was happening, Castiel could almost see the cogs buzzing behind those gorgeous green eyes. “Papers? What papers?”

Sam shot Dean a strange look, full of concern and apprehension. “Your divorce papers. Castiel’s the top divorce lawyer at my firm, he’s handling Lisa’s side of the deal whilst I’m handling your side. We can wait a bit if you want. It doesn’t have to be done today, if you’re not ready Dean.”

The older Winchester took a minute to recover, shaking his head at his brother’s worrying and shaking the comforting hand off his shoulder. Dean’s joking tone seemed to do little to satisfy Sam. “Don’t be silly. ‘s not like I didn’t know this was coming. I’m not some fragile little doll that’s going to break at the first sign of stress you know Sammy.”

“Anyway you coming in Castiel? Jess has got lunch on, burgers in honour of Dean’s arrival.” Castiel allowed Sam to pull him in the house as he was directed into the kitchen, Dean trailing behind them with a distracted expression.

Jess gave him a warm wave from the corner of the kitchen, apron firmly tied round her waist as she delved up to her elbows in tomatoes and lettuce.

“Oh come on Jess, it doesn’t count as a burger if it’s covered in rabbit food.”

“My house my rules Dean Winchester. Currently those rules are focused on baby Winchester. And the newest addition to the family wants ‘rabbit food’.” Jess answered in a teasing tone, rolling her eyes at Dean’s expression. She shared a small smile with Sam as everyone’s eyes were drawn to the bump ever so slightly protruding underneath her apron.

A tomato went flying across the room, landing with a loud squish on Dean’s forehead and sliding down his face when he made the mistake of muttering something about how not everyone had the same needs as a fat pregnant lady.

Castiel watched the exchange with amusement as he settled next to Sam at the table, the younger Winchester frowning at his big brother until he grumbled an ungracious apology to Jess.

“Well we might as well get business out of the way. Like I said, we don’t need to sign them now but we’ll take the papers off your hands Cas.” Sam yanked the papers from Castiel’s hand, barely giving Dean a chance to touch them before he’d snatched them away again. “You’ve been served.”

“Hey!” The elder Winchester scrabbled to try to get the papers back whilst Sam kept batting him away, flicking through them with a well-practiced eye.

“Looking good Castiel. I’ll have a proper look later, but I can’t see there being any problems.” Castiel accepted the praise with a nod of his head.

“So how are things?” Sam’s eyes sparkled as he caught sight of Castiel’s neck. “Is that a hickey?”

Castiel’s hand sprang up to his neck with a spark of mortification. A splutter of laughter from Dean’s corner of the table left Castiel flashing his most venomous glare, which seemed to have absolutely no effect.

Searching about for a way to detract from the topic of his sex life, particularly judging the current company, a message from Gabriel popped into his head. “By the way, Gabriel says that he’s looking forward to your meeting tomorrow. He said something about you owing him a barrel full of candy.”

A deep sigh was expelled from Sam’s lungs, earning him a laugh from Jess. “I swear that’s the last time I ever bet with him.”

Castiel couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice as he replied. “Have you asked him about being the godfather yet?”

Dean voice broke through then, seemingly an unknown man muscling in on his territory was enough to help him break through his embarrassment. “Hang on, you want this Gabriel to be the godfather? Seriously dude! Elder brother standing right here.”

“You do realise that being godfather requires giving the kid religious instruction don’t you? When was the last time you did anything vaguely religious or even spiritual? When was the last time you even prayed?” As logical as the questions were, Castiel could still detect a hint of challenge in Sam’s tone, probably born from a lifetime of sibling rivalry. One which Dean seemed just as happy to engage in, as he made a feeble attempt at winding his younger brother up.

“Oh you have no idea how many times I prayed last night. I was practically shouting out God’s name. The guy I was sleeping with even joined in. True worship if ever there was any.” An obvious wink was flashed towards Castiel. If Dean Winchester thought he could ruffle Castiel’s feathers, he had another thing coming.

The long suffering looks on Jess and Sam’s faces suggested they had been expecting the response. “For God’s sake Dean.”

“Yeah that’s the spirit Sammy.” Sam shook off the hand teasingly patting against his shoulder.

Raising an eyebrow at Dean’s impetuousness earned Castiel little more than a cheeky smile, even as he said “I imagine that taking the lord’s name in vain doesn’t count as religious devotion.”

Dean’s cheeky smile slipped off as he turned his attention back to the matter at hand. “You’re really gonna pick a creepy lawyer over family? I bet he’s not even any more religious than me.”

“Actually I think you will find Gabriel has a very extensive background in biblical scripture.” Whilst Castiel thought he was being helpful, the pout from Dean suggested otherwise.

Jess leaned down to whisper into Dean’s ear. “Hey chill out Dean. It’s not decided yet, and even if we don’t pick you you’ll still be the weird alcoholic uncle.”

He could tell she was only teasing, but it still stung. Covering up in the only way possible, Dean attempted to find the most juvenile form of retaliation possible. Unluckily for Jess, the butter had been placed on the table near Dean, and he managed to get a significant handful smushed on Jess’ face before she could pull away. “Ewww gross Dean.”

Dean just sat there looking exceedingly smug, even after Sam’s massive hand crashed into the back of his head.

***

That had certainly thrown Dean for a loop. The last thing he had expected was last night’s lay to turn up at his brother’s door with divorce papers firmly in hand. And in that rumpled suit and misshapen trenchcoat none the less. It felt like something out of a dodgy comedy. But as he’d realised Castiel (tiel that was it) had been as happy as he was to ignore their previous meeting, he’d found himself able to relax a little in this surreal situation. Even if trying to keep from making eye contact was becoming increasingly difficult. In the daylight he looked much more real, more solid and alive than the domineering man of the night before. It also had to be said, he looked an awful lot more dorky. He hadn’t even tied his tie right. Not that that was particularly a bad thing, some people might even find it endearing, but it certainly shed a new light on Dean’s bedfellow.

It seemed obvious Castiel was in no rush to tell his business associate that he’d slept with his brother, and Dean was quite happy to keep it like that. After listening to few (rather boring) minutes of Sam and Castiel talking shop, Dean decided he should find something more interesting to do. And of course that involved finding the most satisfying way of annoying Jess. In this instance that meant telling her she was making the burgers all wrong and pushing her out of the way. She looked ready to start a fight over it until Dean flashed her a grin and she rolled her eyes. The rolling of eyes tended to be their most common form of communication.

He soon got lost in the sizzle of the frying pan as the enticing smell of onion floated through the kitchen. The physicality of cooking captured his concentration, and his brain was focused on thinking about how he was going to have to add a few more onions to keep Ben (who was to all intents and purposes his son) happy next time he came to visit.

In no time at all the burgers were done to perfection (if Dean did say so himself). Jess teasingly mentioned something about them being overdone, but everyone was quick to heartily tuck into Dean’s masterpiece (even if some people managed to ruin it with rabbit food).

In fact, Castiel added a whole new meaning to the term ‘gusto’. And the noises he was making should have been illegal. It was only when Sam sent Dean yet another one of the funny looks he’d been getting all day that Dean managed to tear his eyes away from the sinful sight of Castiel’s lips wrapped round the burger bun and focus on his own plate. He had been right. It was definitely going to be a long day.

“So, erm, Dean, how come it didn’t work out between Lisa and you?” Castiel’s voice rang out across the table, freezing Sam and Jess’ movements. It threw Dean off for a second, but he couldn’t allow his burger to go cold. He’d been asked that question endless times over the past six months, until it got to the point where it was just banal. Normally it set his temper off, nosy gits judging him and trying to validate themselves with comparisons to his shitty marriage (not that it had really been that shitty). But for once he felt like the question was asked in genuine curiosity. Sure it was overly personal and completely rude, but Dean didn’t think the lawyer meant any harm by it. Although he was startled, a secretly pleased, to hear a hint of jealousy creep into Castiel’s voice.

Ignoring Sam and Jess’ startled looks, Dean took the question in his stride. An honest question deserved an honest answer after all. And it wasn’t as fresh an issue as Sam and Jess seemed to think. Both him and Lisa had known it was a long time coming. They’d just done the traditional thing of growing apart. It didn’t make it any less sad, but it was more of a nostalgic wistful sadness than an angry passionate sadness. To be fair the worst thing about it was that he wouldn’t get to spend as much time with Ben. The look in the kids eye when they’d told him had been utterly heartbreaking. But they’d agreed he was going to visit as much as was physically possible.

So honestly Dean was good. He probably had a few unresolved issues concerning the divorce, but then so did everyone. It might still rankle that Lisa had been the one to finally call the end, but it didn’t really change anything. It was done. There was no way Dean would have been able to pick Cas up last night if it hadn’t been. Not that any of that stopped Sam and Jess walking on eggshells around him. Before Sam had chance to jump to his rescue like he was a damsel in distress, Dean just gave a simple shrug, replying around a mouth stuffed full of burger. “She didn’t tell you? Thought you were meant to be her lawyer.”

“I know the basics, but for a simple and mutually agreed case such as this one I had no need to ask for details.”

“Just curious then?” Dean was delighted to see Castiel’s eyes drop down to the table. Interesting. Maybe this scruffy closed off lawyer was a little more interested than his demeanour and morning attitude had suggested. And Dean had to admit he wouldn’t mind a repeat of last night. “We just didn’t have that much in common any more. The spark died. We grew apart. We changed. The end. Fini. Whatever you want to call it.”

“You both seem rather blasé about the whole thing. In my experience that normally indicates unresolved issues and deeper feelings.”

Well that certainly got Dean’s hackles up. He just about managed to stay civil as he barked out a reply. “Well in this case your experience don’t mean shit. You know absolutely nothing about us.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Castiel seemed to realise he’d overstepped his bounds and had prodded too hard. He spent the rest of the meal in silence as Sam and Jess attempted to make awkward small talk and Dean stuffed his face.

Dean wasn’t that annoyed. He just didn’t like people insinuating and assuming things about how he felt, particularly when it was all obviously completely wrong. Sure he might still miss Lisa on the odd occasion, but they’d done the right thing. He was sure she was much happier without him, and he was definitely getting there (at least if last night’s activities were anything to go by). Moving in with Sam and Jess could only help as well, so long as it didn’t get to the point where he’d outstayed his welcome.

He was so lost in his thoughts that Dean barely registered Sam talking to Cas before leading his work colleague out of the room. “Hey, we got those files you needed for the Milton case. I’ll show you where they are.”

Realising that everyone had finished and that the table needed clearing, Dean set to. Jess probably shouldn’t be on her feet any more than she had to. As Dean was shifting all the dirty plates towards the sink he felt a gentle hand upon his shoulder.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Jess’ tone was so sincere and full of warmth, Dean just couldn’t help snorting.

There was definitely a hint of bitterness to his voice. “Sure. You’re starting a family. The last thing you want is a washed up ‘weird alcoholic uncle’ cluttering up the doorstep.”

He instantly regretted it at the concerned look on Jess’ face. “Hey, you don’t think I meant that did you. I was only joking. We love you Dean, you know that. Sam’s been buzzing about you coming to stay. You should have seen how many times he moved the mirror in your room round so that it was in the ‘perfect place’. He’d have moved the big TV in there too if I’d let him.”

“Wow, always knew he was a dweeb.” Dean couldn’t help perking up a little at the thought. He could perfectly imagine Samsquatch squinting at mirror for hours on end as he tried to position it just right. The light slap on his shoulder even had him grinning.

“I’m serious Dean. Sam really wants you here. And I do too. It wouldn’t be a family without you here.”

Wow, Dean had absolutely no reply to that earnest confession. He never thought Jess was so fond of him. Talking about feelings always made him uncomfortable, but he had to admit that deep down he kind of appreciated the effort. Their chick flick moment, not that that’s what it was since Dean didn’t have chick flick moments, was interrupted by Sam barrelling into the room with his usual smooth style, accidentally smashing a glass as he slammed against the counter. “Shit. Don’t worry about it Dean, I’ll clear it up. I wanted to have a word with Jess anyway. Could you give Cas a hand with the file boxes?”

Meeting Jess’ gaze with a look of solidarity and an eyeroll, Dean couldn’t help grinning. Trust moose. He turned to go find the study with the boxes in. Lugging a few boxes about beat doing the washing up any day of the week.

Although it turned out that the pile of boxes was never ending. He must have shifted six of the buggers before they were anywhere near finished. Of course the task required some form of contact with Castiel, who didn’t seem to be inclined towards chitchat. They just nodded at each other, standing back for one another or siding through doorways. Every circuit round to Castiel’s dodgy old banger had both of them slipping round each other much more efficiently.

If Dean was careful to bed over in a particularly affected way anytime Castiel was in the room with him then sure him. He had a fine ass, and boy did he know it. He could only hope that Castiel knew it too. When they were almost finished, shifting up the last couple of boxes into their arms, Castiel cornered Dean. “I’m sorry for asking about Lisa. It wasn’t my place.”

Dean just flashed him a simple smile before pushing past. “It’s okay Cas. There’s not really anything to ask about.

The next words that came out stopped Dean’s feet in their tracks. “In all honesty I was motivated by less than professional reasons.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Castiel didn’t answer his question, instead adopting a slightly accusatory tone. “You didn’t tell me you were married when we met last night.”

“What, did you want my life story? We barely even said three words to each other last night. It wasn’t like I lied to you or anything.”

The serene nod from Castiel was enough to tell him it wasn’t really going to be held against him. “I suppose you are correct.”

“Sure I am.” Dean nudged Castiel’s shoulder with his own before leading the way out to the car to dump the last boxes. It took him all of five feet to decide on his course of action. Hitting on his ex’s lawyer was probably not the smartest move, but then no one really seemed to think Dean was smart anyway. He waited until Castiel was in the car, door slammed behind him, before motioning for him to wind the window down.

“What d’ya say Cas, fancy going and getting a drink sometime. After helping you move all these boxes the least you could do is buy me a nice cold one.”

The squint from the shorter man as he considered the offer was pretty amusing. “It would be unprofessional.”

“No more unprofessional than taking a stranger from a bar home and tying him to your bedposts in order to have your wicked way with him.” Dean flashed one of his patented winks, pleased to see the flustered reaction he received. None the less, it didn’t seem to get him anywhere as Castiel shook his head, although it did seem to be with regret. “Okay, okay. How about a compromise? I can wait until this whole divorce thing’s blown over and Lisa’s no longer your client.”

Seeing that Castiel was hesitating, Dean decided that a little more pushing would be the best option. “I won’t take no for an answer. In fact, I…“ A wicked grin spread across Dean’s face. “I’ll tell my oh-so-romantic little brother about our little fling, and then you’ll never hear the end of it. He’ll spend the rest of the year trying to get us together. It’ll be like a 24/7 parent trap.”

The horror on Cas’ face was hilarious, he’d obviously been witness to Sam’s terrifying shipping techniques before. His eyes fixed on Dean, a mock-frown plastered across his face as he countered Dean’s trap. “I highly doubt Sam would have any interest in creating a romantic attachment between us. If anything, he will probably find the whole thing rather disgusting.”

Dean must have been inadvertently doing the puppy dog eyes (Sam had to learn it from someone) as Castiel took one look at him and sighed, keeping the pseudo-serious tone to his voice as he kept talking. “Still, just in case it’s not an empty bluff, I guess I’ll have to agree. But considering how you blackmailed me into it, I think that you’re going to be the one paying.”

He couldn’t argue with that, particularly as Castiel flashed him the dorkiest grin he’d ever seen. Unfortunately all Dean could think to say was the well overdone “It’s a date then” before the lawyer was speeding off. With a rev of the engine, Castiel was away, leaving Dean staring after him in a thick cloud of exhaust gases.


End file.
